


and all the kids cried out “please stop (you’re scaring me)”

by CassandraStarflower



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe-Criminals, Bill is kinda psycho and a criminal mastermind basically, Criminal Masterminds, D A R K, M/M, Modern AU, This is Bad, and he’s fanatically loyal to bill, and richie is his hacker boyfriend who’s actually kinda soft but bill loves him, and stan is bill’s prefered getaway driver, and the other losers are some of his favorite fighters, because richie is Hacker Number One, bill busts him out, bill kinda encourages this but he really does love richie, criminals, georgie is bill’s little brother, he considers bill and georgie the only people who love him, like ben is Hacker Number Two, like carrie, richie gets arrested, richie’s not exactly stable, the other losers are just members of bill’s criminal empire, who everyone loves, written in epistolary form
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 10:09:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16993020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassandraStarflower/pseuds/CassandraStarflower
Summary: Bill Denbrough is an extremely dangerous person, especially for an eighteen-year-old. Unfortunately for the FBI team sent to neutralize him, they decided the best route to him was to capture his boyfriend.‘Richie suddenly tried to surge to his feet, the restraints digging into his wrists. “You’re LYING TO ME! Bill loves me, I know it! You’re LYING!”Mrs. Silverman jerked back, wide-eyed.“LIAR!” Richie screamed before sinking back, panting, wild-eyed.’ON HIATUS





	1. i reach but i feel only air at night (not you not love just nothing)

**Author's Note:**

> Story title from Control by Halsey, chapter title from Farther Away by Evanescence. Yes, I’m starting a new story. Sorry.

Richie woke up in the dark. His wrists were handcuffed, cold metal biting into his wrists. His head was throbbing and he had no idea where he was. 

He cautiously sat up, wincing as his head pounded. “Hello?” 

No one responded- instead, a brutal light clicked on, making Richie wince. He looked around. He was sitting on a narrow bunk, like in a prison, and indeed he appeared to be in a jail cell. 

_ Bill won’t be happy _ . 

The door opened. Two unamused men and one unamused woman in suits entered with stools in hand. They set the stools down and sat as the door shut behind them. 

Richie shifted around to swing his legs to the floor and stare at them. “Oookay, who the fuck are you?” 

“I’m Agent Jeffries, with the FBI.” one of the men replied. 

“I’m Agent Hendricks.” the younger man said. 

“I’m Agent Jones.” the woman said. 

“And lemme guess, I’ve been arrested.” 

“Yes, you have.” Agent Jeffries replied. “You’ll be provided with legal counsel, and a therapist.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, why a therapist?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From  _ A Study of William Denbrough _ by Elsa Baum: 

Anyone making a careful study of William Denbrough must of course take a long look at Richard Tozier as well. The two men’s lives are heavily intertwined, and those who in the past have skated over Tozier’s involvement carelessly skate over many of Denbrough’s motivations for many of his acts. 

Richard Tozier was born October 2nd, 2001 to parents Wentworth and Magdalena Tozier, who, it quickly turned out, were not well suited to parenthood. Thus their child entered kindergarten a feral, angry, unhappy five-year-old who distrusted all humans. The same year, William Denbrough started kindergarten at the same school and quickly zeroed in on the vulnerable and abused Tozier. 

Thus began a friendship that became a lifelong relationship between two very twisted boys… 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill paced impatiently in his office, fury bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Richie was missing. His Richie was missing. 

Whoever had done this was going to  _ pay _ . 

He turned when the door opened, ready to give whoever was interrupting a piece of his mind. The words on his tongue died when Georgie entered, though. The eleven-year-old was holding today’s newspaper, looking worried, and flexing the fingers of his prosthetic. 

“We’ve got today’s paper, Billy.” Georgie held out the paper. Bill resisted the urge to snap  _ why do I want the fucking paper? _

Then he saw the headline. 

RICHARD TOZIER ARRESTED. 

He scanned the paper quickly. Memorised the name of the jail. Most of the article was just tired old ‘member of gang’ and ‘hacker’ and the same old shit that everyone knew. 

_ Oh did you make a mistake telling me what jail he’s in. Oh did you make a mistake. _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From  _ A Study of William Denbrough _ by Elsa Baum: 

Most agree that the turning point in Tozier’s life was when his parents, deep in debt to Denbrough due to purchasing drugs from him, offered to sell Tozier to Denbrough to pay off the debt. It is unknown why exactly Denbrough agreed to this deal, though some speculate that the removal of Tozier from an abusive home was the benefit that Denbrough saw. Others scoff and call them romantics for believing such a thing, but many sources seem to confirm that Denbrough genuinely cared for Tozier, including Tozier’s own words, spoken to a therapist after his first arrest in 2018… 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Have you considered, Richard, that he’s a very dangerous, violent, unstable individual?” 

Richie slouched in the seat. “No. Doesn’t matter to me.”

“What if he hurt you?” Mrs. Silverman asked with false concern. 

“He wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know that, hun.”

“He loves me.” 

“No, hun, he doesn’t.”

Richie suddenly tried to surge to his feet, the restraints digging into his wrists. “You’re LYING TO ME! Bill loves me, I know it! You’re LYING!” 

Mrs. Silverman jerked back, wide-eyed. 

“LIAR!” Richie screamed before sinking back, panting, wild-eyed.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, hand trembling over her panic button. After a long moment in which Richie only slumped there in his chair, she drew her hand back. 

“I see this is a difficult topic.” she said. He glared at her distrustfully, breathing fast. 

“I hope we can continue to discuss this in a more calm manner.” she continued. 

“He loves me.” Richie said quietly. “I know it. He’s told me so!” His voice rose. 

“How about you stay calm, hun.” Mrs. Silverman suggested. 

Richie’s eyes narrowed. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill walked into the computer den, where Ben Hanscom sat hunched over a computer. Beverly Marsh, his girlfriend, was reading over his shoulder, guns holstered on her hips as usual. 

“Ben.” Bill said coolly, dropping the newspaper on the table next to the computer. 

“Boss.” Ben replied, glancing at the newspaper. He did a double take. “That’s why he’s missing?” 

“Find him.” Bill said coldly, walking out. He headed straight up to his office from there, and dropped into his chair, staring blankly at the wall. 

He’d heard horrible stories about prison. Some of his people had been in jail, and it was apparently genuinely awful. 

Okay, he was probably overprotective of Richie, but Richie had led an awful life for a long time, with his shitty parents and all. 

Honestly, Bill was overprotective of both Richie and Georgie. After that man attacked Georgie right in front of Bill, he’d become twice as protective. 

That was when Georgie had lost his arm. The guy who’d ripped it off had paid, and paid dearly. 

Bill did not fuck around when it came to his little brother. 

He didn’t fuck around when it came to Richie, either. 

_ find him find him find him find him find him find him find him _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From  _ A Study of William Denbrough _ by Elsa Baum: 

Little is known about George Denbrough, the younger brother of William Denbrough. The younger Denbrough was born in 2008, and the elder quickly became attached. What is known about George Denbrough is that he was fiercely loyal to his brother, and a sheltered child who rarely if ever encountered the harsher aspects of Denbrough’s business. 

One thing that we do know is that when George was six years old, he was attacked by a violent cannibal named Robert Gray. Gray ripped the child’s arm off. Eight days later, Gray died under mysterious circumstances. 

Years later, in 2039, the elder Denbrough revealed that he had killed Gray. his only remark beyond the actual confession was that “he shouldn’t have hurt Georgie.”

This chilling statement is a reminder of how dangerous Denbrough was, from a very young age… 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Richie had been here for three days and he wanted  _ out _ . He’d talked to the fucking therapist three times, one of which had been entirely her blaming him for yesterday. He’d talked to the lawyer once, and the guy had just told him his best hope was to plead guilty and tell the FBI agents everything he knew. 

One thing he knew was that they needed to fire at least three guards, and that when Bill came for him those guards were gonna fucking  _ pay _ . 

By two days later the  _ when _ had turned into  _ if _ and Richie couldn’t breathe, shaking and crying and slowly losing his sanity. They had scheduled a court date. The FBI agents had been in to interrogate him. No torture had been involved. 

No, it was those three guards. 

He didn’t want to even think about what they had done to him. It made him feel sick. This was maximum security, why did they have access to the cells? 

He felt dirty. 

He wanted Bill to get him.

_ Please, Bill, please come get me please please please _


	2. but i scream too loud when i speak my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A heist has been planned. Bill’s gang breaks in. Jeffries, Hendricks, and Jones lose a fight. Richie is rescued- sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill doesn’t have a stutter because reasons- it shows up when he’s freaking out or very upset. Chapter title from Devil in Me by Halsey.

“Alright.” Bill said coolly. “Everyone knows the plan.” 

Nods all around. 

“Good. Get to your positions and let’s go.”

They all raced for the building except Stan, who was the getaway driver today. 

Ben slipped into the building, snuck past a guard, and entered the control room.    
“Hello.” he chirped to the man at the desk. The man looked up, startled, and Ben struck him over the head with his gun and shoved him out of the chair. He took the seat and pressed his earpiece. 

“I’m in the control room.” he said. 

The earpiece crackled. “Good.” Bill said. 

Meanwhile, Bev, Eddie, Mike, and Bill snuck past guards and split up. 

“Cell 14 Block B.” Eddie reminded Bill, who nodded, jaw tight. 

Bev sauntered into the room the FBI agents were in, followed by Mike. 

Hendricks shot to his feet. “What the hell! Who are you?” 

“The name’s Beverly Marsh.” Bev drawled, smirking. “And this is my friend Mike, here.” 

Mike crossed his arms, eyes hard. 

“And how did you get in here?” Agent Jones demanded. 

“Snuck past the guards.” Bev said casually. “You guys have something that belongs to our boss.” 

“What do you think we have?” Hendricks asked disdainfully, reaching for his gun. 

“Ah-ah-ah.” Bev lifted a finger. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My friend here has his gun on you guys, after all, and he’s a good shot. Not to mention I could get my gun out before you could shoot.” 

Hendricks froze, wide-eyed. 

“As for what you definitely have, you kinda stole our main hacker. You know. Our boss’ boyfriend. Richie Tozier.” 

“You work for Denbrough.” Jeffries recognized.

“Right-in-one! You guys are smarter than you look!” 

“He’s not even in this jail.” Hendricks scoffed. 

“Wrong!” Bev replied, cheerful. “Look, we know for a fact that he is here. As long as he’s okay, Boss won’t be  _ too _ mad. As long as you guys treated him okay and, you know, like a human being, you’ll be just fine!” Her tone dipped toward threatening as she spoke. 

All three agents paled and drew their guns. Mike fired, making Jeffries crumple with a shout- still alive. 

Bev drew her guns, smiling still. 

“Shall we dance?” she crooned, clicking the safeties off.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An email between the head of the FBI and Agent Jeffries shortly after Tozier’s rescue: 

Agent Jeffries: 

Any information gained from interrogations of Tozier must be sent promptly. Denbrough is a clear threat and must be neutralized. If we leave it much longer he’ll be twice as dangerous. 

Director Ramsey Thorne

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill stormed down the hallway, shooting any guards that got in his way, checking cell numbers. 

_ There. Cell 14 _ .

He reached the door and waited for it to unlock- part of Ben’s job. 

It clanked loudly and he turned the knob and yanked the door open. 

Richie was lying on the bed, back to the door. Bill entered, thinking maybe Richie was asleep. 

“Richie?” 

Richie stirred, tensed, and turned over. Then he froze, staring wide-eyed at Bill. 

“Bill?” He sat up, winced, and stared at Bill. Bill meanwhile felt anger bubbling up at the sight of the bruise on Richie’s cheek. 

“C’mere.” Bill urged, holding out his free arm (the one without the gun). Richie scrambled to his feet, trying not to wince again, and practically hurled himself at Bill, clinging to his boyfriend tightly. Bill hugged him back, feeling a wave of relief go over him. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They reached the car and got in quickly, followed by Bev and Mike, then Eddie, then Ben scrambled in and panted, “Go, go.”

Richie curled into a corner of the car as Stan peeled out. 

Bill wrapped an arm around Richie, feeling the need to be touching Richie, to make sure that Richie was real and here. 

The car sped through the streets. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill was pacing and swearing in their room, blazing with rage, furious, while Richie watched, tucked into a ball on the bed, wide-eyed. 

“I’m going to kill those sons of bitches!” Bill raged. Richie bit his lip. 

“Bill?” 

Bill turned, trying not to show his anger. “Yeah?”

Richie looked like he was going to start crying again. “Can you just… hold me? Please?” 

Bill instantly went over, climbed onto the bed, and pulled Richie close. 

“I’m still gonna kill them.” he murmured softly against Richie’s hair, cupping the back of Richie’s head. “They  _ hurt _ you.” 

Richie swallowed and pressed closer. “Okay.” he whispered. 

No complaints from him. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From  _ A Study of William Denbrough _ by Elsa Baum: 

The fates of the three guards who reportedly sexually assaulted Tozier while he was in maximum security were quite gruesome, by all accounts. Some point to this as another example of the idea that Tozier was one of the few people Denbrough ever loved, while again, cynics scoff and call it simply another chance for Denbrough to commit a horrific crime. Myself, I am on the side of the former- it is an idea which makes sense, and aligns with every known primary source for the two’s relationship… 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An interview with Mara Silverman, conducted by Elsa Baum while writing her book: 

Elsa Baum: And you had repeated contact with Tozier during his imprisonment? 

Mara Silverman: Yes. 

EB: You had how many sessions with him? 

MS: Seven. One for each day he was there. 

EB: Were you aware of the actions of John Franklin, Jim Borgin, and Dave Jackson regarding Tozier?

MS: Yes, I was. 

EB: And what was your response? 

MS: I told him it was his own damn fault. 

EB: I… I see. Why? 

MS: If he’d never associated with Denbrough, he wouldn’tve ended up in jail. And… 

EB: And what? 

MS: He was too damn pretty for his own good, you know. That’s probably why Denbrough kept him around. 

EB: You think he was just there to be Denbrough’s “arm candy”? 

MS: Well, what else would it’ve been? 

EB: Well, I don’t know. Any number of things, I suppose. 

MS: Yeah, yeah. Anything else you need to know? 

EB: Were any of the three of them disciplined? 

MS: Why would they be? It was just one criminal with a pretty face and delusions about his own importance. 

EB: It was also illegal. 

MS: One criminal. He was Denbrough’s “special friend”, anyway. Probably used to it. 

EB: I think this is all I need. Thank you. 

MS: You’re welcome, girly. When you write that book of yours, I hope it gets published. Might be a bit too… obscene. 

EB: Oh, I already have a publisher lined up.

-end of interview-

Notes of interviewer: Mrs. Silverman has not aged gracefully, and seems to have become quite foul in her old age. I was disgusted by her comments. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was, like Elsa Baum, disgusted by Mrs. Silverman’s interview. That was horrible to write. Genuinely foul, dear god.   
> Please leave comments! Tell me what you liked about this! Please! (i’m lonely and i need validation)   
> Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope someone somewhere enjoyed this. This is gonna be pretty dark, and a lot of it will be unrealistic, and this story will also be short. No doubt.  
> I tried to mimic the writing style of Carrie, with the interjections from the book, so I’ll add more sources to stick in there next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments or kudos!


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